The Collision Repair Education Foundation seeks mentor-mentee teams to participate in a unique automotive aftermarket competition and round out a competitor pool beyond large national MSOs, a representative said Wednesday.

If you think mentoring costs your collision repair facility money by taking a staffer away from their regular duties to teach some snot-nosed kid, consider this: The government’s registered apprenticeship program finds employers making $1.55 for every dollar they spend, Roxann Griffith of the U.S. Department of Labor told the CIC on Wednesday. The apprentice is bringing in revenue through their work, even if they’re not up to the level of a traditional employee, she said. (It’s unclear if this ratio is padded by the funding contributed by the government, but you get the idea.)

In addition, CREF in the past has reported hearing that filling a technician slot can mean $30,000-$50,000 per month in additional revenue for a collision repairer. What you spend up front training that snot-nosed kid might be recouped and start paying dividends quickly.

Those who are interested in judging, watching or volunteering for the Top Tech competition can do so for free, CREF said in a May news release. Hotel deals are also available, according to the release.

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Christen Battaglia, CREF director of strategic partnerships and one of the minds behind the inaugural Top Tech Competition, gave an update on the program during a CIC Talent Pool Committee session on July 24, 2019. (John Huetter/Repairer Driven News)

Sponsorship levels for the Collision Repair Education Foundation Top Tech mentor/mentee competition as of May 2019 are shown. (Provided by CREF)

The logo for the Collision Repair Education Foundation Top Tech mentor/mentee competition is shown. (Provided by CREF)